Bounty Hunt
by Tyrannosaurus-Bomb
Summary: The UNSC has located a hidden outpost on a remote tropical planet, controlled by a relentless Zealot of the Covenant Remnant. The Master Chief is dropped into the heart of the planet's unexplored rainforest with orders to locate and terminate this dangerous enemy.
1. The Hunt Begins

Chapter 1 - The Hunt Begins

Trees. An endless green sea of tropical trees.

John didn't like trees. Jungles were a soldier's worst nightmare. They were dark, almost impossible to manoeuvre, and provided endless cover for enemy forces. Not to mention that they brought back old memories of his childhood training, memories that he'd rather leave untouched. The soldier sighed and turned away from the window, moving back to his seat. The passenger bays in the UNSC's stealth drop-cabs were always cramped, but this one was near ridiculous. His knees almost touched the seats opposite from him when he sat. Though he guessed they had to be small to optimize their stealth, plus they just weren't equipped for his size.

The tinny voice of the pilot crackled through the intercom.

" _We're preparing to hit dirt Chief. You ready?"_

John held a finger up to his helmet. "I'm ready." His voice was stone-cold and serious.

He reached down and pulled a DMR up from under his seat, swiftly cocking the rifle with a sharp click.

" _Hold onto your butt, we're going down."_

John braced himself, when a sudden whooshing sound enveloped the ship. His stomach lurched and he tensed his jaw as he looked out at the passing jungle through the window. There was a dull thumping noise from under the ship as they reached ground level, and the sickening feeling quickly subsided. The large solider silently stood up from his seat, moving his hand up to punch a large red button above his head. The bay doors slid open with a steady hiss, and he stepped out and dropped onto the soft grass below. He turned back to the drop-cab, holding a finger to his intercom.

"I'm out. Thanks for the ride."

The ship retracted its landing legs and boosted the engines once more.

" _Anytime Chief. I'll see you back at the station."_

The ship rose back up vertically into the air until it was high above the jungle, before taking off into the clouds and out of sight.

With the heavy hum of the drop-cab now gone, the thick sound of insects took its place. John could already feel the humidity reaching him beneath the confines of his armour. With a steady exhale he narrowed his eyes from within his helmet, looking around at the tropical foliage surrounding him. As expected, there were no actual paths through the thick jungle. The nature looked completely untouched.

"Looks like I'll have to find my own way." He spoke quietly to himself, lowering his head and focusing his senses to his armour functions.

Using his nerve-powered HUD mission directory he opened up his mission details on his visor display, sifting through an endless list of old objectives, until he reached his most recent entry.

 _Master Chief /117,_

 _Your assignment is simple. Find and eliminate Covenant Zealot Uz'Aralya, and evac out before any Covenant command ships have time to send reinforcements. Uz'Aralya's team have set up camps around the southern hemisphere of the planet. We have no intel on his whereabouts within the planet, so do what you do best and use your initiative. Search the camps for any leads._

 _I wish you the best of luck out there and look forward to seeing you return with Uz'Aralya's head on a plate._

 _Fleet Admiral Lord Hood._

The mission seemed simple enough. The Covenant Remnant had been causing the UNSC a huge bag of trouble. Unlike the former Covenant, these new elitists didn't stick to their old orthodox warfare methods. Their forces were widely spread across the galaxy, and instead of sticking solely to space carriers they often set-up command on hostile planets and moons where they where much harder to trace and keep track of. They were certainly tenacious, but their break of mass numbers and wide distribution meant that Covenant squads could be easily outnumbered, and were vulnerable to well-planned attacks. And the Master Chief was definitely a good planner.

His first mental objective, get to higher ground and evaluate the surroundings.

In the bottom left corner of his visor's heads up display was a virtual compass. According to his pilot, a small plateau was situated northwest from his location. He examined the tropical terrain one more time, before heading northwest, pushing aside some ferns and treading into the thick of the humid jungle.

* * *

The Spartan waved his hand, swiping a large alien insect off his visor. The intimidating hum of thousands of insectoids was heavy in the jungle, and many of the winged vermin could be seen zipping in between the cracks of sunlight that shot down through the leaves above. Perhaps they were relatives of the Covenant Drones he'd come to loathe? He quickly dismissed the casual thought and ignored the irritating creatures, keeping focus on his surroundings. The terrain ahead visibly rose at an angle, and soon he could feel the tell tale strain on his legs of climbing a hill. He was definitely nearing the plateau.

The Spartan continued onward up the rising ground, sidestepping through a palm-like bush and out onto a small length of flat orange rock. He walked towards the edge of the rock, finding a steep drop off below him. He'd reached the plateau. He kicked a small stone off the edge with his heavy boot and watched it fall to the canopy below, before looking back up to the captivating view ahead of him to begin his inspection of the area.

Thankfully, it was as good a vantage point as he'd hoped. The jungle was vast, covering the mainly flat land way into the distance. He capped his visor with a hand and scanned the horizon. He noticed some heat disturbance in the air some way ahead. It appeared to be a thin trail of blue plasma vapor snaking up into the azure sky. Most likely one of the Remnant camps.

John moved his arm back down to his side and looked right, peering down the side of the cliff. It was steep, but there were plenty of thick plants and vines covering the side of the cliff that he could utilize in method of getting down. It would take some time to head back the way he'd come and walk around the cliff, and time wasn't something he had to spare. His only option was to go down. Reaching out to grab hold of a thick vine, the armoured soldier stepped off the plateau and pulled himself over the drop, pushing his feet into the rugged cliff wall. He took a sharp breath and glanced down below, pushing down on his knees slightly, preparing to begin motion. He gave himself a moment's rest, before beginning to hastily abseil down the cliff face, his grip tight on the thick vine as he fed his hands down its length.

It didn't take much effort to scale the way down, and once the vine was out of length he released and dropped the last ten feet to the ground, bending his knees to take the impact. He hit the soft grass with a heavy thud, turning back to more jungle. Peering up through a crack in the leaves he could still see the vapor trail ahead. Taking note of its direction on his compass he began to head toward it, ducking under a branch and pushing on through the thick jungle.


	2. Poltergeist Camp

Chapter 2 - Poltergeist Camp

John brushed aside a large fern and peered through some unkempt shrubbery. A small clearing had been made in the jungle ahead, and in the middle was a short broad structure, made from a shiny purple metal with glowing blue veins running along every angular edge of its design. What appeared to be a large plasma bonfire had also been set up beside the building, an intense wave of heat emanating from its glow. That must've been what was producing the vapour trail. A few tall armoured beasts were patrolling the perimeter of the building. Remnant Elites, armed with Plasma Rifles. Nothing the Master Chief couldn't handle. They were unmatched in devotion and ruthlessness, but these Remnant Elites lacked the skill and power of the Elites the UNSC had formed an alliance with.

The Spartan ducked back down below the bushes, pulling his DMR from his shoulder and holding it to his chest, drumming his fingers against the forestock of the gun as he went over a quick plan in his mind. _'A few guards, and undoubtedly some more inside the building... piece of cake'._

* * *

"HEY!"

A Remnant Elite in standard blue armour turned quickly toward the source of an aggressive human voice, snarling sharply. Its alien eyes widened when it spotted a tall figure in green armour leaping swiftly from the jungle. The Elite roared in defence, pulling its Plasma Rifle from its holster. But before it could fire a shot, it received several powerful DMR rounds to its chest, spraying purple blood as it fell back with a thud.

John gritted his teeth and turned as another Elite guard ran out from around the Covenant building. He aimed and fired several precise rounds at its head, smashing off the thin helmet and ripping into its cranium.

" _DOMO INCANON!_ "

A red armoured Elite Commando charged out from behind the building, roaring in native tongue. John ducked as a Carbine shot narrowly missed his head, and he unleashed a hail of DMR rounds into the alien. It cried out in pain as bullets ripped through its armour, mowing its lanky form to the ground. Before its corpse had even hit the floor, the Spartan began a brisk march around the back of the building, his heart beating like a tribal drum in his ears.

"Wort! Wort!"

John turned on reflex, taking down another two guards with lightning speed. He casually turned back to the building and rounded the corner, spotting the large metal door to the building. Dull red lights were clear signs that the Elites inside had locked it. The Spartan planted his large hand against the door and pushed as hard as he could, coaxing nothing more than a faint groan of metal. It didn't budge. He growled and smashed the butt of his gun against it. Once again, no result. He looked back behind him to one of the Elite corpses, and spotted a few blue orbs scattered by the body. Perfect. He headed over to grab a couple, tossing one up and down in his hand. Once at the door again, he squeezed the orb, causing it to ignite into a fiery blue glow, steam and plasma vapour bleeding off it. As it started to melt under the heat he jammed it against the door, the now sticky substance melding into the metal. He briskly jogged away from the door and crouched onto a knee, lowering his head and pushing his arms up in front of his helmet.

Within seconds the doors burst open with a sharp smash, and blue plasma fire licked out from the gaping hole into the building. Instantly getting back up, the Chief pulled a Frag Grenade from his belt and armed it, tossing it into the smoking doorway. A dull explosion flashed out from inside, along with a roar and a spray of purple blood. He pulled his DMR from his back and aimed it steadily at the doorway, standing stone-still, awaiting any enemies to run.

A few seconds passed and nothing appeared. All was silent but the sound of the insects and crackling plasma fire. He slowly approached the burst hole with his gun levelled, and shifted his torso to the side, peering into the building. Nothing but a few glowing terminals and some more Elite corpses on the floor. Chief lowered his gun and headed into the dark cool room, stepping over one of the bodies and to a console. His eyes scanned over the floating holograms. Reaching out to the console he lay his fingers against the floating buttons, and allowed his mind to start up a download process. It was a new feature of his armour that had been introduced when the Elites allied with the UNSC. It was another nerve-controlled function that allowed him to download intel from any Covenant console, and translate it in the process.

Once everything was downloaded, he mentally opened the most recent file.

 _/MISSION UPDATE 291/_

 _POLTERGEIST_ _CAMP IS TO ENHANCE SECURITY PROTOCOL. CAPTAIN UZ'ARALYA IS DUE TO ARRIVE AT COMMAND POST WITHIN THE NEXT 12 HOURS. ANY UNKNOWN CONTACT MUST BE ELIMINATED WITHOUT DISCRETION, AND UNIDENTIFIED COMMUNICATION REPORTED TO SUPERIORS.  
FAILURE TO FOLLOW ORDERS WILL RESULT IN LOSS OF RANK OR EXECUTION._

 _/MASTER TERMINAL/_

"Command Post…"

John closed down the message and exited the file, scanning through the other download files. There was only one other file named 'MASTER MAP'. He mentally selected it, and a blueprint style satellite map appeared on his visor. The location of 'Poltergeist Camp' was clearly listed at the bottom of the map, as were two other camps and several other points of interest.

This must've been a map of the jungle.

John frowned and began to scroll around the map, searching for anything labelled 'Command Post'. There was nothing. He ground his teeth a little, looking over a few unmarked blotches on the map that would indicate the locations of large objects or structures. They could've been anything, it was impossible to tell from the map, but for now it was the best bet he had at finding the Command Post.

He thought back to the previous file he'd downloaded. He'd expected Uz'Aralya to stay put at the main point of power in the jungle, which would definitely be the Command Post. But after reading about how he'd be 'arriving' at the Command Post in the next 12 hours, John was starting to think that maybe Uz'Aralya was constantly moving, inter-changing between locations to keep himself elusive. That could explain why previous teams sent to the planet never got close to finding the Zealot. This was a clever idea on the Elite's behalf. It presented John with the troublesome task of deciding _where_ to look. If he was unlucky, he could be here for weeks. He needed more intel, that was obvious. The next nearest camp was his best bet.

He headed back out from the building, stopping to glance around the clearing for a moment. The plasma fire continued to crackle almost peacefully to the side of the building, and John decided to approach it and briefly investigate. The blue flames were huge and fierce, and sticky heat licked out in all directions, a heavy scent of sulphur and burning fuel filling the Chief's filter unit. At the base of the flames was what appeared to be a large slab of bubbling melted metal. John frowned and took a step forward, holding up a hand to shield his vision from the flames. Looking closer he noticed a few familiar shapes around the fire. A few gun clips, _human_ gun clips. A UNSC helmet. And...

A bone. A half burnt human bone, sticking out from the fire.

John winced at the sight of the bone, letting out a slow breath. They were burning the remains of human teams that had investigated before him. Shaking his head slowly, a glinting object caught his eye. He gazed over it, to find that it was a detached sniper rifle scope, laying at the side of the hot melted mess. That could come in handy, he could use its high magnification levels as a makeshift telescope, something he often wished he could have installed into his visor.

The Spartan steadied his footing slightly, before quickly darting forward and ducking, turning his right shoulder to the fire as intense heat washed over his body. He reached out and snatched the scope before retreating backwards, shaking off his arms to cool them. He rolled the metal object around his hands a few times to let it cool down, before holding it up to his visor. Looking up at the sky, he pressed a button on the side of the contraption. The view suddenly zoomed in on a small puffy cloud, making it appear as if it were only feet ahead of him. It still worked. Satisfied with his snatch he clipped the scope onto his belt and pulled the DMR off his back. It comforted him to have a weapon in hand. Looking around the small clearing once more his eyes were drawn to a nearby hill. That would make a good lookout zone, and with his new scope and the Covenant map he might be able to seek some new points of interest.

Kicking a fallen Plasma Rifle out of his path, he pressed on toward the hill.


	3. A Mystery

Chapter 3 - A Mystery

John stepped out from the cover of the palm trees, instinctively ducking as he came into the open. He crouched among the lush whip-like grass, examining the view ahead of him. He'd made his way from the Covenant camp to a small hill, a decent spot to get a feel for more of the area. He opened up the map he'd downloaded onto his visor, scrolling around it to search for any nearby structures. One of the camps listed was fairly close, but neither it nor any of the vague structure shapes on the satellite map were visible ahead to the naked eye.

After taking another long glance of the jungle expanse around him, the Spartan returned his focus to the closest camp listed on the map. 'Eidolon Camp'. He'd read enough maps to be good at judging distance, and he was confident in calculating the distance to this marked location, even if he couldn't read the Covenant measurement symbols. The camp location wasn't far, less than an hour's walk he guessed, if he kept up a good pace. According to the compass it was essentially dead ahead. The Spartan unclipped the detached sniper scope from his belt and held it to his visor, compressing the view deep into the distance. The scope focused in on the horizon, and John steadily panned it in search of any clues on the camp's whereabouts. Nothing was visible. No more vapour trails like before, not even any breaks in the thick blanket of tropical forest.

He moved the scope down from his visor with a quiet sigh, slowly standing and stepping back under the cover of the trees behind him. Time to move onto the Eidolon Camp. He could already tell this was going to be a repetitive assignment, but patience was something John wasn't short of. Moving back deeper into the forest to keep himself under cover, the soldier began his descent back down the small hill.

* * *

Large heavy Spartan boots tread carefully behind a wall of shrubbery as John spied in from the fringes of a small clearing. It wasn't as large as the clearing he'd previously investigated, and there was a strange quietness about it. Another one of the small broad Covenant buildings was positioned in the centre, and beside it was a tall silver comm node. He quickly opened up his downloaded map to confirm his whereabouts. He'd reached Eidolon Camp. Closing down the map and returning focus to the clearing, John spied the area for a few moments, unable to see a single guard on patrol. It was peculiar, but probably meant the guards were inside. Perhaps they'd found out about his exploits at the last camp and were expecting him. Not that it mattered, he would take the situation however it presented itself to him.

Master Chief slowly stepped out from a palm bush, his torso rigid as he panned his rifle along his view of the clearing. There was still no sign of any guards, even as he made himself obviously visible. He continued to tread closer to the building with the silent readiness of a serpent. He stopped dead in front of the building's door, a deep pulsating hum washing over him from the comm node just a few feet away. The lights on the door were an electric white colour, meaning it was unlocked.

John frowned from under his visor. This wasn't typical of the Covenant, he was surprised that they would leave a place of importance unlocked and unguarded. But as he'd thought before, perhaps they were expecting him. Perhaps this was a trap. The thought of it sent a shiver up the back of the Spartan's spine and kicked a flow of adrenaline into his bloodstream, the hairs on his arms rising as he tightened his grip on his rifle, lifting a leg and taking another step toward the door.

His boot broke the door's invisible motion barrier, and it automatically slid open with a soft whoosh. As the dark room inside presented itself, John darted in with his finger itching to squeeze the trigger. But as he briskly entered his boot connected with a heavy object on the floor, slipping him off balance and causing him to trip forward. His finger pulled on the trigger as he stumbled and his rifle fired a round off into the floor, the bullet ricocheting loudly into a wall. His body connected with the ground with an ungodly metallic clang. He was taken by surprise and angered by his clumsy mistake, but he didn't spare a second in rolling onto his back and pushing up off his elbow into a crouched position, his rifle aimed at shoulder level.

But there was no one. The room was empty. The man slowly backed up against the wall, his jaw tensed as his eyes darted around the dark room. His vision gradually became accustomed to the low light, and when it did, he noticed a substance messily smeared up one of the walls. He focused on it with a frown. It was a dark purple liquid. He instantly recognised it, and he shot to his feet as a cold sweat formed on his brow.

Sangheili blood. Sprayed up the wall with serious force. He then noticed the object he'd tripped over. A long shape stuck out from the shadow in front of the door. He cautiously took a few steps closer. An arm. A lifeless Elite's arm. John glanced in the direction of where the arm's body should be, flinching a little when he found it. It wasn't alone. There were a pile of dead bodies. Mostly Unggoy corpses, but a couple of Elites also lay dead, disfigured and crammed messily into a dark corner of the room, a vile cocktail of alien blood puddled beneath them.

"Jesus..." John muttered quietly to himself. Dead Covenant was a sight he was used to, but he'd never seen such a mess made of them. Perhaps it disturbed him seeing such an atrocious sight when he was third party to it, he'd had no part in their death. When he was killing, his body was fuelled by adrenaline. He never had time to think about what he was doing, or the corpses littered around him. However, seeing it like this made him realise how disgusting it really was. But this raised the question, what had killed them?

Dark lines and craters where just visible in the low light, scarring several of the walls. John stepped up to the wall in front of him, gently running a hand along one of the thick black lines. The wall dipped in deeply as if it had been melted. They were Plasma burns. This just made the situation even more mysterious. Was this the result of friendly fire? Perhaps this group had wronged Uz'Aralya in some way, and this was the scene of an execution.

John decided to push aside his curious intuition and focused his attention back to his mission. He turned back to the holographic terminals near the far wall, stepping over and reaching out with a gloved hand to touch the alien console. Blue light and Covenant symbols popped up on his HUD, yet no file download started. He frowned and took his hand off, then returned it to the console to restart the download process. Once again it stopped prematurely. That could only mean the console was completely empty of information, which he thought highly unlikely. John exhaled in irritation and moved his hand around the console, pressing random symbols, yet nothing could be found. The terminal was bare.

Before the soldier had a chance to curse, a ghostly wailing sound echoed into the room from the jungle outside, and John quickly looked back over his shoulder. He slowly headed over to the front door, keeping his bulk within the shadowy room as he peered out from the doorway.

The strange wail was heard again, closer this time. The noise quickly escalated in pitch and volume, when a large crimson shape eerily slid past the clearing from within the jungle, sunlight from above fragmenting off its smooth body. A Covenant Spectre.

The Chief's heart rate picked up as he watched the alien vehicle pass by him. At first he thought the Covenant soldiers must've come for him, but the vehicle passed straight by without hesitation, its destination obviously elsewhere. This was perfect. The Spectre would definitely be travelling to a point of interest, perhaps one of the locations that wasn't listed on the map he'd downloaded. Following it could make this mission a whole lot easier for him. He spared no more time to think, and began a brisk stealthy jog out from the doorway and into the thick jungle brush. There was no sign of the vehicle ahead, but a long trail of plant debris snaked through the jungle in its wake. John followed on after the trail with his rifle tight in hand, regulating his breaths in between each heavy footstep. He could still hear the Spectre ahead, but he decided it was best to lag behind out of sight. He didn't want to risk being seen and having to dispose of the Elites on board. That would completely ruin this perfect chance to simply follow instead of explore and find his own way. Once again, it seemed Chief's undeniable luck had pulled through.

* * *

John had continued shadowing the Spectre's trail for the best part of half an hour. For the past few minutes he'd lost its signature wail, assuming it had come to halt. He decided to push on at a slower pace and carefully changed his direction of approach, cautious that the Elites may have exited their stopped vehicle. He didn't want to follow dead along their trail and run straight into them.

He stalked his way through a patch of unkempt long grass that towered over him, continuing to regulate his breaths carefully as his eyes darted between the tall plants, searching for any sign of the Spectre or its passengers. The tall plants lapped tightly over his armour as he moved onward, making him feel rather claustrophobic. Though he kept his cool and stealthily pressed onward, his weapon ready at shoulder level.

The Spartan soon came to the edge of the tall grass, and he peered out from between the leafy confines. A curious dipped pit of clean tan sand was about twenty feet ahead, thick ancient trees looming in from its edges, blocking out the sunlight from above. The trail of the Spectre could be seen across the other side of the pit, and it continued on through the sand, but disappeared dead in the centre. Chief examined the sand pit curiously, glancing around a little to make sure he was alone, before slowly stepping out into the open and over to the edge of the sand. The soldier looked back across at the Spectre's trail as it travelled in from the opposite edge before stopping dead in the centre. He peered down into the shallow pit in the middle. The sand in the middle was disturbed and brushed away, revealing an entirely different substance underneath. Silver metal.

John cautiously stepped onto the sand, his boot sinking a few centimetres into the soft ground. His applied some weight to his leg, making sure it wasn't any kind of quicksand, before heading down into the shallow centre pit. His boots clinked against the metal as he walked dead into the pit, standing in the centre where the trail disappeared. He kicked away some more of the sand, revealing more metal underneath. It was patterned with small intricate symbols of Forerunner design, nothing he recognised. He scratched at the sand some more with his boot, before lifting his leg and stomping down onto the metal. A dull clang was heard, but there was no echo. It was dead solid.

The Spartan sighed in frustration. Just when he managed to find a stroke of good luck, it decided to disappear into thin air. But he was quickly thrown from his thoughts as the ground beneath him began to vibrate suddenly, a deep hum emanating from the metal. He stared down at his feet and darted back off the sand pit, aiming his weapon solidly. Without warning the metal floor began to rise up from the pit with a smooth mechanical whoosh. Hot air swept back over Chief as he watched the metal plate rise upward. Three angled legs pulled up from the ground supporting the centre plate, sand falling off their surface as they erected. After a few moments the vibrations stopped and everything halted, the jungle falling once again into silence.

John looked over the revealed structure cautiously. The circular centre plate of the pit now stood high above his head, held up by three strong metal pillars that angled out from the centre and plugged into the edges of the pit. The soft sand was gone, and the entire pit was now replaced with the forerunner structure. John slowly approached the structure, stepping onto the metal pad sat beneath the centre plate. Directly beneath it, the metal flooring was separated into four quarters, and a ring of red light glared angrily from the middle. The red light caught the attention of the Chief, and he approached it, looking over the segmented floor. Something about it seemed familiar. Metal segments, separated by thick black lines, and centred by a red light...

It suddenly clicked in his mind. It was a Forerunner door.

John stepped back and looked over the floor once more. He was certain it was a door, almost like some kind of trapdoor. A concealed entrance to an underground structure. That would explain where the Spectre had gone. He jogged back off the metal pad and back to the edges of the long grass, pulling a Frag Grenade off his belt and casually ripping out the pin, tossing it across to the trapdoor. It landed on the metal and bounced, skimming across with a succession of metallic clangs. It exploded dead in the centre of the structure with punching force, spraying up sand in all directions, shrapnel and stones raining down over the surrounding jungle and bouncing off John's armour. The Spartan waited until the cloud cleared, only to discover that the sand was the only thing the grenade had disturbed. The locked trapdoor was completely unmarked.

"Fuck it." John cursed quietly, clicking his neck from side to side. He should've guessed a single grenade wouldn't be enough to tear through Forerunner metal. Still, even though he hadn't made his way through just yet, the grenade could attract the attention of Covenant inside. If a team came up to investigate he'd have his ticket in.

John stepped back into the cover of the long grass, nestling himself within its thick tongue-like leaves. He'd just have to wait. Sooner or later something would have to come out or go in, and he'd be ready to steal himself entry.

Patience was a virtue, and something John was thankful he possessed.


	4. Reunion of Brothers

Chapter 4 - Reunion of Brothers

Cracks of thick orange light crept through the blanket of leaves above, glowing down through the confines of long tentacle like glass, and onto the hard metal surface of the Master Chief's helmet. John had been sat in wait amongst the long grass for longer than he'd expected. He groaned quietly, shifting over from his crouched knee to put the weight on the other. He stretched out the sore leg he'd been leant on and turned his focus to his HUD clock. 14:49 Earth Time. He had no idea what the relative time on this planet was, but the clock told him he'd been hiding here for three hours. He could tell by the warm colour of the sunlight that the day was coming to a close, and the darkness of night was just around the corner.

He had to prepare. Night time would pose new challenges for the Chief. Remaining in the confines of the jungle would place him in thick darkness. And if he was spotted he could be in danger, Elite active camouflage was extremely effective in low light environments. But regardless of whether or not he remained in the jungle or out in the open, staying near this Forerunner Structure was definitely not a good idea. John had to accept the inevitable fact that at some point he would have to rest, and allowing himself to slip into unconsciousness beside a well-used Covenant hotspot was not an option.

The Spartan slowly pushed himself back up to his feet, flexing up onto his toes to stretch his knees. His legs cracked quietly, and he allowed himself to resume a normal stance, moving his neck from side to side. He could already feel the heavy presence of tiredness breaching into his focus. It angered him, the necessity of long sleep was a major flaw with the human body. His augmentations meant that his stamina was greatly increased, but even he needed sleep at some point.

He took a final glance over the Forerunner structure, before turning and pushing back through the long grass in the direction he'd come from. He opened up the map he'd downloaded on his HUD as he walked, making note of the structure's location so he could find his way later.

* * *

Master Chief sat down within a thicket of tropical plants, allowing his back to rest up against the base of a tree. He'd found a spot a good distance from the Forerunner Structure that he liked the look off. A small collection of thick shrubs up against a tree, a decent place for him to rest in concealment. He pulled the leaves in closer to him, making sure that every part of his body was as hidden as possible. Once satisfied with his camouflage, the Chief allowed himself to lean his whole weight back against the tree, and he gazed up at the trees above. The planet had no moon, but a strangely peaceful green glow soaked in through the leaves. A nearby gas giant was probably the source, he'd seen it on his way into orbit.

John continued watching the branches as they ever so slightly moved in a light breeze, the cracks of night glow constantly morphing as the leaves above overlapped and stroked against each other. The heavy presence of exhaustion was looming in on Chief's consciousness, and he fought the urge to keep himself awake, knowing that the sooner he got to sleep, the earlier he could start the next day, and that meant he'd have plenty of daylight to work in.

After making one final check-up of his camouflage, he allowed his body to fully relax and his eyelids to drop. He could hear the soft sound of the breeze as it caressed his armour, though he couldn't feel it beneath the steel confines. Part of him longed to feel the breeze against his seldom touched skin, but his soldier mindset was much too paranoid. The very thought of removing any of his armour while he was working put him on edge.

As the minutes ticked away John found it harder to think, and in time he decided to push away his thoughts entirely, allowing his mind to empty. Within seconds, his body hung completely relaxed, as he slipped from consciousness and into sleep.

* * *

Leaves.

The last thing John remembered was nestling himself within a bush so he could rest. A now, he was staring at leaves. He took a moment to glance around, relieved to find that he'd remained in the exact spot he'd sat that night. Now the sun had returned. The light was weak, meaning it was probably early morning.

John looked up to the leaves above him, preparing himself to move. But he hesitated. His heart was pounding. The Chief frowned and looked down to his chest plate, touching a hand to the armour, almost thinking he'd be able to feel his heart through it. He felt pumped up, as if his body had prepared himself for a fight. That's when he remembered how he'd woken. It had been so abrupt, as if he'd never been asleep at all. One moment he was asleep, and then the next he was wide awake, staring ahead.

The soldier cautiously reached down to take hold of his DMR that he'd place on the ground close to his side. He feared that his survival instincts had woken him.

Thick silence continued. Chief felt the hairs rise all over his body as he sat motionless, awaiting something to happen. But there was nothing, no sounds at all. After a few more seconds of the silence, John sighed quietly. It was probably his paranoia getting the best of him. He planted his left against the ground as he slowly pushed himself up from his sitting position. He kept his rifle steadily in-hand as he stood up from the confines of the bush, his eyes scanning the jungle around him with hawk-like precision. There was nothing to be seen. Satisfied, he quietly stepped out from the bush, ejecting the clip from his rifle to briefly check how much ammo was left.

 _"Spartan..."_

John froze, his heart jumping in his chest as a deep voice floated in from ahead of him. He shot his gaze up, noticing something move. It was hazy, almost not visible, like a mirage. It seemed John's instincts had in fact woken him for a reason. After a few seconds it appeared again, moving eerily as weak shards of light reflected off it. With lightning speed John slammed the clip back into his rifle and aimed it at the moving shape.

In one swift inhuman movement the shape darted forward and shoved the barrel of the rifle out its direction, pushing the Chief aside with it.

"Hold your fire!" The gravelly voice barked inches from the soldier's face. Thin lines of blue energy crackled over the shape's form, just before its transparent sheen began to peel back, revealing angled green armour and a pair of yellow reptilian eyes.

John took a step back as the creature deactivated its camouflage, and he relaxed his stance. It was an Elite in dark green combat armour. But unlike the Sangheili he'd been fighting, this beast was slabbed with muscle and fully combat equipped. Its skin was also much darker, creating an intimidating contrast against its burning eyes. This was not an enemy. This was an ally Sangheili.

The Elite released the end of Chief's gun, and the Spartan moved it back close to his chest, obviously a bit wary. "Your reactions are fast." The Elite looked over the Spartan as it stood tall from its hunched combat stance. It didn't reach the height of the lanky Remnant Elites, yet it still towered over the Chief.

Though the threat of fighting was no longer an immediate worry, the question was raised in Chief's mind as to why the alien was here. Lord Hood had never mentioned anything of any ally Elites being on the planet. After defeating the original Covenant the UNSC's contact with the reformed Sangheili had thinned, but Chief was certain somebody within the ranks would hear some word of their presence on the planet.

"What are you doing here?" John asked, his voice mechanically serious.

The Elite motioned its reptilian head toward the bushes behind it. "Follow me. There is someone who wants to speak with you." With that said the alien turned and headed toward the bushes, pushing aside the plants with ease as it glanced back at John.

The Spartan hesitated, still wary. Yet another mystery. Why would someone want to speak with him? How did they even know he would be here? Just the very fact that this suddenly appearing Elite had known exactly where to find him was somewhat alarming.

John had been trained from a young age to kill Sangheili, he was hardwired to enter a fighting state at the very sight of one, so trusting this stranger Elite definitely wasn't natural for him. But his paranoid nature didn't change the fact that this beast was clearly an ally. The ally Elites had served as a great help in the UNSC's effort to dismantle the Covenant, and he felt that refusing to trust this one now would be unwarranted, maybe even insulting. And besides, if he did have to fight, he had confidence in his skills.

The armoured man steadily strode on after the Elite, his weapon firmly in hand. "Who wants to speak with me?"

The Sangheili warrior moved its head slightly toward its left shoulder as it pushed through the shrubbery, its footsteps heavy and powerful. "My leader."

John frowned from within his helmet. It was a blunt answer, but nothing out of the ordinary. He'd noticed Elites didn't talk much, not to humans at least. They had a very serious culture about them. Perhaps the Elite was even as wary of him as he was of it. Not that the Chief minded. Talking was something he wasn't particularly good at himself. He'd rather walk in silence.

* * *

For just under ten minutes the Spartan followed the Elite without a word, listening to the alien's heavy footsteps as he watched his HUD compass, making sure to keep track of the Forerunner Structure's location in respect to his own. It would be easy to get lost in this kind of environment, and he did not want to risk that.

Gradually, deep quiet noises became apparent ahead. They were rhythmic and unusual, almost like speech. As they got closer the noises became clearer, and Chief was certain it was in fact talking. Quiet and undecipherable, but definitely talking.

The Elite in green armour stopped just as they came to a thick wall of vines and canopy. He took another quick glance back at the Chief as he pulled away a loose curtain of the plants with a clawed hand, revealing a small clearing behind. The voices were much clearer now, instantly recognisable as Elites, a decent amount of them seemingly conversing with one another. The Elite stepped inside, holding the wall of plants open for the Chief to follow in.

Master Chief solidly stepped through and into the small clearing. Most of the voices voices stopped, and a dozen large figures turned toward the Chief from inside the circular clearing. As he'd guessed, more Elites, solidly built and clad in coloured armour. They glanced over him with snake-like eyes, a few whispering in native tongue, another in red armour even nodding in greeting. Though a few other Elites stood huddled at the back of the group, continuing to talk amongst themselves in hushed voices.

The green armoured Elite stepped forward toward the group. "My leader. I have found him."

The last remaining voices fell quiet. Chief felt his heart rate pick up a bit as silence fell over the cramped clearing, his grip on the rifle tensing slightly. The Elites in front of him began to part to the sides, allowing the small group of Elites from behind to step forward. Two Elites in elegant white armour with larger angular helmets, and another in more minimalist black armour, its entire faced concealed within a tight face mask. But the Elite leading them was by far the most extravagant. A huge impressive beast dressed in ornate golden armour, his right shoulder dressed in a fearsome sharp metal plate, but his left arm fully exposed, packed with muscle. He had a tall sharp helmet that flowed back to his neck, followed by huge metal spines that ran down his back.

The large Elite stopped dead in front of the Chief, eyeing him up and down. His mandibles were concealed by the helmet's face guard, almost like a kind of muzzle. But his small prehistoric eyes gleamed from within the confines of the helmet, settling on the Chief's visor with a strangely soft gaze. To humans, all Elites looked almost identical. Yet there was something oddly familiar about this certain Elite's eyes.

The alien growled softly, the sound vibrating through his metal face guard. "Master Chief..." He reached out with his right arm, placing a huge armoured hand on the man's shoulder. "...It is good to see you again."

The Master Chief blinked in surprise at the Elite's commanding voice. He definitely remembered that voice.

A small smile touched the Spartan's lips from beneath his helmet, and he nodded his head in greeting.

"Wasn't expecting to see you here, Arbiter."


	5. Into The Pit

Chapter 5 - Into The Pit

"This truly is a surprise meeting." Thel 'Vadam released the man's shoulder and motioned back to the Elite in black armour. "One of my brothers said he saw you wandering through the thickets yesterday. I couldn't imagine why that would be so, yet here you are."

The Master Chief grunted in humour. "Believe me, I'm just as surprised to see you here. What's the situation?"

Thel nodded his head toward the thick jungle behind the Chief. "The leader of these traitorous Elites has been blackmailing my council. Three of my brothers have been taken hostage, and he threatens to end their lives if I fail to deliver an armoury of my people's weapons. Weapons that he plans to use against you and your kind, I presume."

The Spartan nodded slowly. "You're here for a rescue mission?"

Thel nodded. "Indeed," he then reached down to place a clawed hand on his holstered Energy Sword, a bestial snarl guttering from his throat. "and we shall deliver the firepower he has requested, straight into his head." The other Elites growled and barked in approval, nodding and murmuring to one another. "You are here for blood too, yes?" The Arbiter then asked, his yellow eyes glinting like those of a hungry predator.

"That's right." The Chief held his rifle up a little. "This group of Elites is causing some real problems for the UNSC. I'm here to cut the head off this ugly snake."

The Arbiter's small eyes narrowed as his face muscles tightened. "Then it seems we're here with the same goal." He pointed toward the other Elites. "My brothers and I will aid you."

John nodded, looking over the tall aliens. "Thanks, I could use the help."

The Elite in green armour stepped forward, folding its muscled arms. "What evaluations have you made, human?"

Master Chief looked to the other Elite. "Haven't seen much yet. Found two camps of theirs, one of them was already cleared out, guess that was you and your team."

The Arbiter nodded. "We didn't manage to salvage much information. It seems the main strongholds are hidden even from their planet maps."

"I had the same problem." John moved his head slightly to the side, motioning over his shoulder. "Yesterday I followed a Covenant Spectre, it led me to a hidden Forerunner structure. It looks like a door to something underground, but I couldn't get it to open."

The green armoured Elite blinked and looked to the Arbiter, who shared a curious glance. "Hm," Thel looked back to the Spartan. "Could you lead us to this structure you found?"

Master Chief flicked his gaze down to his HUD compass, noting the marker he'd left in the direction of the Forerunner structure. "Alright." He looked back at Thel through his visor. "When are you ready to move?"

"Immediately." Thel looked over to the other Elites. "Prepare to move." His commanding voice resonated through the clearing, and the other Elites stood to attention, taking their weapons in hand. Thel then looked back to Chief and nodded toward the concealed entrance to the clearing. "We have no time to waste. Lead the way."

* * *

John kept his steps soft as he stealthily maneuvered through the tropical brush. More soft footsteps and brushes of armour followed him, as an entourage of Elites towed after him. Eventually he reached the edge of the tall snake-like grass, and pushed his head slightly out to examine the small clearing. The sandpit was just there as he'd found it before. The structure was no longer present, meaning it must of retracted back into the ground.

"Do you see something?" A deep regal voice whispered from over Chief's shoulder.

The soldier nodded toward the pit. "That's it there, it's hidden in the sand." He glanced around for a few more moments, making sure the area was deserted, before stepping out from the long grass.

Thel followed after him, examining the sand pit with his reptilian eyes. "It is hidden?" He asked, looking to the Master Chief.

"Yeah." John then began to approach the pit. Once he reached the edge he cautiously pressed a boot down onto the sand as he had before, brushing it away to reveal the metal plate beneath. He then moved his other foot onto the plate, his body rigid as he stood at the edge of the surface, ready to quickly move off. A few seconds of silence went by, when a deep mechanical hum growled from beneath the sand. Master Chief quickly stepped off the metal plate as he felt it begin to vibrate. The plate beneath the sand softly began to move upwards, and erect itself into the same Forerunner structure that it had before.

A few deep gasps and whispers in Sangheili tongue sounded from the Elite soldiers, and Thel stepped up to the edge of the structure, gazing over the metal structure, before focusing on the sealed door at the base. "This is ancient..." He pointed to the door. "The age of this technology predates most I have seen. This planet has remained untouched for a long time."

Master Chief tapped his fingers along the forestock of his rifle, also examining the door. "Any ideas how we can get it open?" He kept his hoarse voice quiet.

Thel shook his head. "The Prophets supplied us with technology capable of cracking Forerunner locks. But my people do not possess such equipment." He held his hands out in front of him, interlocking his clawed fingers in thought. "We'll have to wait until the traitorous beasts open it. Whether they're entering or leaving, they'll have to pass through this door at some time. That's when we'll make our move."

John nodded, scanning the steaming jungle around them. "Sounds like a plan." He was a patient man, he didn't mind waiting for things if they aided him. And now with the added company of the Arbiter and his Elites he had no doubt he'd finish this mission without major issues. He pointed toward the long grass from where they'd entered the clearing. "We should stick to the grass for cover."

Thel nodded, looking back to the grass. "I agree." He waved his large hand toward his teammates, growling a command in native tongue. The other Elites responded immediately, turning and stepping back into the long grass. Thel marched toward the grass after them, Chief following alongside him. "When did you last encounter enemy forces?" He asked, looking to the Spartan from the side of his eye.

"I followed one of their Spectres yesterday, which led me here. Haven't seen any Remnant soldiers since."

Thel nodded, pulling away some of the long grass as they reached it. He stepped among the greenery's snaky confines, pulling it in closer to his bulk to better conceal himself. Master Chief did the same, kneeling on one knee close to the edge of the grass. He kept his rifle close to his chest as he gazed out at the sand pit from within the plants. He felt a heavy object nudge his arm slightly. Glancing back, he saw the green armoured Elite kneeling down beside him.

"How long will we have to remain in concealment?" The beast scanned the clearing with narrow eyes as he murmured to the Spartan.

"I have no idea." Chief lifted his shoulders. "I haven't figured out any kind of rota for their movements yet. Pretty certain someone's gotta pass by here at some point though, this definitely seems like a point of importance."

The Elite nodded, craning his therapod-like neck back to face the other alien soldiers hiding in the grass behind them. He growled something to them in their native language, receiving a few nods and grunts in response. He then looked back to the clearing with a gravelly snort. "My weapons thirst for the blood of traitors..."

Master Chief glanced to the Elite with a humoured grunt. Elites were monstrously blood-thirsty when it called for it. He'd always admired their tenacity, even back when he was fighting against them. He was looking forward to battling alongside the Arbiter and his forces again.

* * *

"Did you hear that?"

Master Chief flinched, flicking his head over to the right. The massive armoured bulk of Thel 'Vadam was crouched next to him. John shook his head slowly, slightly dazed. They'd been hidden in the grass for a few hours now, and he'd completely drifted off into idle thought. He mentally cursed himself for losing focus. Being accompanied by the Elites had given him a sense of safety, and he'd let his mind slip from it's usual alert state, a rookie mistake he couldn't allow himself to make again.

Thel held up a clawed finger, motioning for the Chief to wait. He remained motionless for a few seconds, when suddenly a faint wailing sound carried itself in from further in the jungle ahead. It was without a doubt the tell-tale wail of a Spectre in motion. "Looks like your friend has come to pay us a visit." Thel snarled, his mandibles curling into what Chief guessed was a grin.

The Spartan tensed up his body and pushed down harder on his front knee. He was itching for some action, and now with the added manpower of the Elites, he was excited for the kick of adrenaline that came with spear-heading an unstoppable eradication of enemies.

The wailing sound returned once more, this time much clearer and closer. A few flying creatures fled from the treetops ahead of them. The vehicle must have been heading their way. A buzz of energy sparked through the waiting soldiers as the other Elite's bunched up close to the edge of the grass alongside Thel and the Chief. After a few more seconds a sleek metallic shape pushed out from the jungle brush ahead, blue energy licking at the ground beneath it. The Spectre floated into the clearing with an eerie gracefulness, before settling itself at the side of the sandpit. A lanky Elite in blue Remnant armour then stepped out from the vehicle, marching into the sandpit, remaining in the center until the structure activated.

As the Elite headed back to the Spectre from the erecting structure, Thel glanced to an Elite beside him. It was the masked Elite, concealed head to toe in jet back armour. Thel whispered to the stealth soldier from beneath the mechanical whirring ahead. Chief couldn't understand what he had said, but the deep commanding snarl had caused the hairs to rise on the back of his neck. A quiet activating sound popped in response to the command, and the Elite's form quickly washed out from focus, his body glistening in a sheen that rendered him almost completely transparent. He then stealthily moved out from the grass with surprisingly light footsteps, his form disappearing completely from sight. The Remnant Elite clambered back into the vehicle, starting it up and easing down into the center of the structure, on top of the locked trapdoor. The alien could be seen tapping at a few controls in the front dashboard of the Spectre, when sand and steam suddenly shot up from the sides of the trapdoor with a hiss. The sound of the mechanical door sliding open sent vibrations through the ground, rattling Master Chief's armour. The Remnant Elite yelled abruptly as dark blue blood sprayed out from the Spectre's cockpit. The alien's body collapsed from the driver's seat, its torso hanging limply down the side of the machine. A few flickers of fragmented light danced in front of the structure and approached the long grass, before materialising into the black armoured Elite, equipped with an armed Energy Sword.

"Let's move." Thel hastily retreated from the long grass, the other Elites following suit without hesitation. Master Chief stood and followed after the aliens. They stepped into the center of the structure. The locked door was now fully open and revealing a wide metal ramp leading down into darkness. Thel stepped down and began to descend the ramp, his heavy armoured feet sending weighty vibrations through the material. Chief followed alongside him, the other Elites in tow. He instantly felt his armour begin to cool as he left the heat of the jungle and entered the metal cavern.

"This darkness is heavy." Thel commented on the unpierced shadow ahead. It was impossible to tell how deep the tunnel was, as they were unable to make out anything even five feet ahead of them.

"I got it." John reached up to the side of his helmet, pushing along a small flush switch. His helmet flashlights snapped into life, illuminating the tunnel around them. The light splashed down the tunnel and onto a far wall about fifty feet ahead. A small control panel was attached to the side of the wall. Once they reached it, Chief came close to examine the panel. It was a small holographic monitor, similar to the Covenant computers he'd found in the Remnant camps. He'd seen this layout before several times on the Halo rings. "This is another door, right?"

"Correct." Thel 'Vadam looked over the large metal door, then back to the panel. He reached out to it, pushing his clawed hand among the floating holographic symbols. A confirming hum sounded from the panel, and the door began to hiss. Jets of steam shot out from the frame of the mechanical door, and it slowly began to slide open from the middle. The soldiers quickly grabbed their weapons and armed them, readying themselves for whatever waited beyond the door.

A few alien voices could be heard barking from the other side, when the predatory head of a Remnant Elite suddenly leered through the center crack, peering through to investigate. In the blink of an eye the soldiers unleashed an abrupt hail of firepower, shredding the Elite's upper half to pieces. It's corpse fell back with a clang, and another Elite shouted out in response. As the door opened wider, they could see more Remnant Elites darting away in opposite directions and out of sight.

"Cowards!" Thel roared out, whipping his Energy Sword from his hip. "Finally, the entertainment begins..." He stepped forward toward the doorway, but was interrupted by a huge clang of steel and a familiar bestial bellow. He stopped dead in his tracks, slowly sliding his foot back behind him as he resumed a battle stance. A few more clangs followed, just as two gigantic hunks of blue metal stepped out from either side of the doorframe. They turned to face the soldiers as they reached the center of the doorway, covering their broad torso's with wide metal shields.

John pushed his steel boots harder against the floor, preparing his body to sprint. He grimaced as two gaping Fuel Rod cannons were pointed in their direction, their plasmic green barrels suddenly beginning to illuminate, accompanied by a threatening electrical whir.

"Oh shit."


End file.
